All In Good Taste / December 2005
Warming Trends
By Pat Lawrence
Women have been knitting and crocheting for their families for decades but many contemporary women have only just discovered the pleasures of traditional needle arts. According to Catherine Blythe, creative director and director of marketing for the company that produces Patons and other popular yarns, “The cultural shift from decadence and excess to community and creativity was a response to excesses of the 80’s and early 90’s, fueled by current events. Women began looking for comforting, creative ways to take care of themselves and activities directed toward home and family.”
Retiring baby boomers and career women on the move have also discovered the gratification of creating beautiful handwork. Celebrities and teens have embraced the traditional past times of knitting and crocheting, finding them both a creative outlet and an opportunity to make a contribution. Teen groups across the nation are gathering together to create hand made items for charitable causes. Busy women are supporting their favorite charities by knitting and crocheting hats, gloves, and scarves for children.
The fashion industry quickly took take advantage of the dizzying array of colors, styles, features, weights and weaves inherent in yarn, introducing new looks and garments that incorporate it’s unending versatility. The fleece tops of 2000 have been replaced by hand knit garments and knitted or crocheted scarves are very much in style.
Catherine, who learned to knit from her grandmother, wears jackets and scarves that she has made herself and says she always has a project in progress. She traveled the world as a professional model for fifteen years, also acting in film and television. “I was always working on project on location.” She was shopping for yarn when a company executive asked for her suggestions as part of his market research. “I offered him a few tips about getting in on the new trends and he hired me!”
It’s been a very cozy career combination. For the past five years, Catherine has traveled North America, from Canada to New York and across the USA, to create and promote the company’s latest yarns, ideas, patterns and possibilities. She draws on her fashion background and personal passion for knitting and crocheting and returns to Europe often to explore new ideas and emerging fashion trends.
Women have been knitting with Patons brand yarns since the 1700’s, and the Bernat brand has been a favorite for over 75 years, but Catherine says their market is often fashion driven, so they design and create new yarns to reflect exactly what customers say they want, in colors and styles, filaments and fibers, natural and synthetic. The yarn names reflect the diversity of choices and styles, like Glittallic, Cha-ha, Divine, Pebbles, Denim Style, or Allure. The company’s interior design group, all knitters and crocheters, weave the information into their plans for new patterns, projects and unique yarn combinations. “We’re always fashion forward, whether it is in West Virginia or New York.”
Catherine says the new fashion trends for this year will include the embellishment of garments and accessories and the new look of crocheted edging on knitted garments. “Sweater sleeves will be three quarter instead of full, and leg warmers are back. Wrist warmers are a new accessory. Felting, which uses wool yarn, is another emerging trend.” Handknitted scarves,sweaters, shawls and shrugs will continue to be essential fashion garments.
She and the marketing team understand that new knitters may be intimidated by patterns and terminology, so they ease the way with publications like the “Next Step” booklet so beginners can make the transition from simple scarves to elegant attire.
Catherine says, “One in three women in the US now knit or crochet–about fifty three million women.
That’s fifty per cent growth over the number in 1994. Knitting and crocheting seem to transcend gender, age, nationality and religion, even internationally.”
Hundreds and hundreds of yarn choices and an infinite number of combinations keep the the warm, fuzzy feelings increasing, stitch by stitch.
Click here for free knitting patterns.
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
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